Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 17 December 2015
263. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his views on correspondence (details supplied) regarding a crop species and the methods available to deal with the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46035/15]
View answerIn response to representations in July, the Minister of State with responsibility for Food, Forestry, Horticulture and Food Safety replied in August 2015 to the person referred to in your question, setting out the actions already taken and that were proposed for the remainder of 2015 in combating the ash dieback disease. This included a large scale systematic and wider targeted survey of forests, nurseries, hedgerows, agricultural environmental schemes and roadside plantings across the whole of the country which commenced at the beginning of July.
The results have shown that due to the high number of findings of ash dieback, especially in native hedgerows, Ireland would not be in a position to apply to the EU for Protected Zone status for the disease. The outcomes from the survey and other work are now feeding into a review of policy in relation to the disease being carried out by my Department in co-operation with colleagues in DARD in Northern Ireland.
My officials met a delegation from the IFA including the person referred to in your question on the 18 November. At that meeting the Department provided a detailed update on the situation of the disease in the country. The possibility of removing the embargo on ash sales under a plant passport system for nurseries, for plants which have been free of the disease for at least two years, is being considered.
Over the last number of years the Department has operated a Reconstitution Scheme to restore forests established under its afforestation schemes back to their original form following significant damage by natural causes. The Scheme has been used to assist forestry owners who have been affected by Ash dieback disease. The objective of the Scheme is to eradicate/contain ash dieback in forests by supporting the removal and destruction of trees and leaf litter and to reconstitute the forest by replanting with alternative species. The Scheme provides funding in respect of costs necessarily incurred in clearing the site and reconstituting the forest, subject to the maximum limits laid down.
The Scheme is restricted to forestry and currently there are no plans to either broaden the scope of the Scheme or to introduce any other Scheme for individuals or nurseries that have been affected by outbreaks of plant diseases including ash dieback.
